Growing Together Lesson Plan Growing Together
Tools and Resources • Lesson Plan
Duration: 2 Hours
Audience: Adult Prevention Specialists
Learning Objective
Participants will identify and explore essential tools, strategies, and resources relevant to prevention work, collaborate with peers to share insights and best practices, and begin building a personalized resource toolkit to enhance their professional impact.
Why This Matters
Effective prevention work requires a robust understanding and application of various tools and resources. This lesson equips prevention specialists with practical solutions and a tailored toolkit, ultimately enhancing their ability to create impactful programs and support healthier communities.
Preparation (30 mins)
Review all generated materials: Lesson Plan, Slides, Handouts, and Activities.
Print one copy per participant: Resource Exploration Worksheet , Key Concepts Handout , and Superpower Warm-Up .
Prepare index cards or sticky notes and markers for the Warm-Up activity.
Ensure projector/computer access for Growing Together Slides .
Set up the room for collaborative small group work (circles or pods).
Materials Needed
Growing Together Slides
Activity Handouts & Worksheets
Quiz & Answer Key
Whiteboard & Markers
Index Cards / Sticky Notes
Instruction Timeline
15
Minutes
Welcome and Warm-Up: My Prevention Superpower
Begin with a welcoming statement and introduce the topic using Slides 1-2. Facilitate the "My Prevention Superpower" activity where participants identify a skill or resource they find effective. Share with partners and then a few whole-group examples.
20
Minutes
Introduction to Essential Tools
Use Slides 3-5 to introduce categories: data collection, planning, communication, and evaluation. Distribute the Resource Exploration Worksheet . Guide participants to brainstorm tools they currently use within these categories.
25
Minutes
Deep Dive: Key Concepts and Strategies
Distribute Key Concepts Handout . Allow 10-15 mins for reading. Facilitate Scenario Discussion Cards in small groups. Focus on real-world application of concepts (EBPs, fidelity, logic models). Brief whole-group share-out.
30
Minutes
Building Your Personalized Toolkit
Use Slides 6-7 to introduce the Toolkit Builder Guide . Participants synthesize learning to compile their personalized arsenal. Encourage peer sharing and circulation to facilitate resource identification.
15
Minutes
Assessment and Future Application
Administer the Prevention Knowledge Quiz . Review answers together. Briefly introduce the Prevention Project Guide as a follow-up takeaway for continued professional development.
15
Minutes
Wrap-Up and Cool Down: My Next Step
Summarize key takeaways. Facilitate the Next Steps Reflection . Every participant commits to one actionable new tool or strategy. Closing thank you.
Growing Together Slides Growing Together
Tools and Resources for Prevention Specialists
New & Experienced Specialists
Explore Essential Tools
Build Your Impact
Our Collective Strength
Prevention is stronger when we share and grow together.
1
Identify key tools and resources.
2
Share effective prevention strategies.
3
Build a personal resource toolkit.
My Prevention Superpower
"What's your go-to skill or resource in prevention?"
Think of a tool or strategy you find effective.
Share it with a partner.
Be ready to share with the group!
Category 1: Data & Needs Assessment
How do we understand our communities?
Youth Risk Behavior Surveys
Community Focus Groups
Community Asset Mapping
Epidemiological Data Analysis
Discussion
What specific tools do you use to gather insights?
Category 2: Planning & Implementation
Turning insights into action!
Logic Models & Theory of Change
Strategic Planning Frameworks
Evidence-Based Registries (SAMHSA)
Program Fidelity Tools
Collaborate
What are your favorite frameworks for planning?
Category 3: Communication & Evaluation
Sharing our story and measuring success.
Strategic Communication Plans
Social Marketing Toolkits
Process & Outcome Evaluation
Impact Reporting Templates
Reflect
How do you demonstrate your program's impact?
Activity: Building Your Toolkit
1. Review your Exploration Worksheet.
Look back at the tools you've already identified.
2. Synthesize new ideas.
Add tools discovered from readings and discussions.
3. Map your application.
Exactly how will you use these in the next 30 days?
Your Dynamic Toolkit
Prevention is always evolving—and so should your resources!
Seek
Continuously look for emerging research and resources.
Adapt
Tailor tools to your community's specific culture and needs.
Superpower Warm Up Activity My Prevention Superpower
Warm-Up Activity • 5–7 Minutes
Instructions
Every prevention specialist has a unique set of "superpowers"—those go-to skills, specific tools, or trusted strategies that make their work more effective and sustainable.
Reflect: Think about your work. What is one tool, strategy, or skill you possess that you consider your "superpower"?Note: Write it down clearly in the space below.Share: When prompted, find a partner and describe your superpower and why it works for you.
My Prevention Superpower is...
Why is this so effective in your community?
"The goal is not to have every superpower ourselves, but to build a community where our combined powers cover every need."
Resource Exploration Worksheet Resource Exploration
Professional Development Worksheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Instructions: For each category, list tools or resources you currently use or are familiar with. Then, brainstorm new tools or strategies you'd like to explore based on today's session or ideas from your colleagues.
1
Data Collection & Needs Assessment
Tools I Currently Use:
New Tools to Explore:
2
Program Planning & Implementation
Tools I Currently Use:
New Tools to Explore:
3
Communication & Evaluation
Tools I Currently Use:
New Tools to Explore:
My Top 3 Takeaways / New Resources
Key Concepts Handout Key Concepts in Prevention
Expanding Your Toolkit for Community Impact
Prevention specialists play a critical role in fostering healthy communities by proactively addressing risk factors and promoting protective factors. To maximize impact, a diverse and adaptive toolkit of strategies and resources is essential. This reading explores foundational concepts to enhance your practice.
1. Data-Driven Decision Making
"The right program for the right population at the right time."
Needs Assessment: Systematically analyzing data to identify health problems and risk factors. Common tools include surveys (YRBS), focus groups, and epidemiological data.Community Asset Mapping: Identifying community strengths and resources. This shifts focus from deficits to positive capacities for sustainable change.Monitoring Trends: Tracking data over time to evaluate impact and anticipate future needs.
2. EBPs and Fidelity
Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) are interventions rigorously evaluated and proven effective.
Identification: Use registries like SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs (NREPP) or the CDC's Community Guide.Fidelity: Implementing a program as closely as possible to its original design. While cultural adaptation is often necessary, maintaining core components ensures the program achieves its demonstrated outcomes.
3. Strategic Planning
Logic Models: Visual maps of the relationship between inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes. They clarify program theory and guide evaluation.Coalition Building: Partnering with schools, law enforcement, and parents to leverage resources and build community ownership.Sustainability: Planning for long-term viability through funding diversification and community capacity building from the start.
4. Communication & Advocacy
Social Marketing: Using marketing principles to influence behavior for social good. This requires deep audience understanding.Storytelling: Using narratives to humanize data and build emotional connections with stakeholders.Policy Advocacy: Influencing decisions on funding, legislation, or environmental changes that support health.
5. Continuous Quality Improvement
CQI is a cyclical process of planning, implementing, evaluating, and refining.
Scenario Discussion Cards Real-World Scenarios
Group Discussion Prompts & Case Studies
Scenario 1: Limited Data, Big Problem
"Your community has seen a recent increase in youth vaping, but there isn't much local data available beyond anecdotal reports. Your supervisor wants to launch a new prevention initiative immediately."
Strategy
What steps would you take to gather more robust data to inform planning?
Tools
What specific needs assessment tools could you deploy quickly?
Advocacy
How would you communicate the urgency to stakeholders with limited data?
Scenario 2: Adapting an EBP
"You've identified an excellent evidence-based prevention program (EBP) that targets substance use, but it was developed for a vastly different demographic and cultural context than your current community."
Fidelity
How do you adapt the program while maintaining fidelity to core components?
Ethics
What ethical considerations come into play when changing a proven model?
Consultation
What resources or partners would you consult to ensure appropriateness?
Scenario 3: Reluctant Stakeholders
"You are building a coalition to address mental health stigma. Key community leaders (school principals, politicians) are hesitant, citing lack of time or competing priorities."
Engagement
What communication strategies would you use to engage these busy leaders?
Narrative
How could you use data or storytelling to make a compelling case for them?
Coalition
What are creative ways to build a coalition with 'busy' members?
Toolkit Builder Guide Toolkit Builder Guide
Curating Your Professional Arsenal • 30 Minutes
Part 1: Individual Reflection (10 mins)
Review your Resource Exploration Worksheet . Identify the specific gaps in your current approach. Which area (Data, Planning, or Communication) needs the most reinforcement?
My Primary Focus Area & Why:
Part 2: Collaborative Curating (15 mins)
Connect with specialists from other communities or organizations. Share one tool you swear by and ask for one they recommend. Use the grid below to "collect" tools for your toolkit.
Category Tool / Strategy Name Best For... (Purpose) Data Planning Comm/Eval Other
Part 3: Action Mapping (5 mins)
Immediate Implementation
Which ONE tool will you use in the next 14 days?
Long-Term Goal
What major strategy will you adopt this year?
Prevention Knowledge Quiz Prevention Knowledge Quiz
Session Assessment
Name: ____________________
Score: ________ / 5
1
Which of the following best describes the purpose of a community needs assessment in prevention work?
To identify existing programs to avoid duplication.
To systematically collect and analyze data to identify health problems and risk/protective factors.
To solely gather anecdotal evidence from community members.
To secure funding for any prevention program, regardless of need.
2
Explain in your own words why maintaining fidelity is important when implementing an evidence-based practice (EBP).
3
Which tool is primarily used to visually represent the assumed relationships between program inputs, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes?
Community Asset Map
Social Marketing Plan
Logic Model
Fidelity Checklist
4
Briefly describe one key difference between process evaluation and outcome evaluation.
5
Which of the following is a primary benefit of coalition building in prevention?
It guarantees immediate funding for all initiatives.
It allows individual organizations to work in isolation.
It leverages diverse resources, increases reach, and builds community ownership.
It simplifies program evaluation by reducing the number of stakeholders.
End of Assessment • Growing Together Professional Development
Prevention Quiz Answer Key Quiz Answer Key
Instructor Resource
Question 1: Purpose of Needs Assessment
Correct Answer: "To systematically collect and analyze data to identify health problems and risk/protective factors."
Rationale: A needs assessment goes beyond just identifying existing programs. Its core function is to understand the specific challenges (health problems, risk factors) and strengths (protective factors) within a community through systematic data collection.
Question 2: Importance of Fidelity
Sample Answer: "Maintaining fidelity ensures that the program is implemented as intended by its developers."
Rationale: Fidelity is crucial for EBPs because their effectiveness has been proven when implemented in a specific way. If a program is significantly altered, there's no guarantee it will produce the same positive results. It ensures the "active ingredients" of the intervention are delivered.
Question 3: Visual Representation Tool
Correct Answer: "Logic Model"
Rationale: A Logic Model is specifically designed to map out the theoretical framework of a program, showing the causal links from resources to activities, and then to short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
Question 4: Process vs. Outcome Evaluation
Sample Answer: "Process evaluation assesses HOW a program is being implemented, while outcome evaluation assesses WHAT the program achieves (its ultimate results/impact)."
Rationale: Process evaluation looks at fidelity and reach (delivery). Outcome evaluation looks at changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, or health status (impact).
Question 5: Benefits of Coalitions
Correct Answer: "It leverages diverse resources, increases reach, and builds community ownership."
Rationale: Coalition building is about collaboration. By bringing together various stakeholders, a coalition can access a wider array of resources, extend the program's reach, and foster a sense of collective responsibility for prevention efforts.
Prevention Project Guide Personalized Prevention Project
A Guide for Continued Practice & Professional Impact
Project Goal
To apply the tools, strategies, and concepts discussed in the Growing Together training to a specific, real-world prevention challenge in your community. This project serves as a bridge between today's training and your everyday impact.
1
Define the Challenge
What is the most pressing prevention need in your community right now?
2
Select Your Toolkit Items
Identify 3 specific tools or strategies from today that you will apply.
3
Draft the Action Plan
Outline the first 3 steps you will take to implement these tools.
4
Measurement of Success
What data or feedback will prove your intervention is working?
Project Completion Tip
Don't work in a vacuum! Present your project draft to your supervisor or a peer for feedback. Growth is a collaborative effort.
Next Steps Reflection My Next Step
Closing Reflection & Commitment • 5 Minutes
1. Identify ONE Actionable Step
What is one new tool, strategy, or resource you learned about today that you will commit to exploring further or implementing in your work in the next two weeks?
2. Why this step?
Briefly explain why you chose this particular step and how you anticipate it will enhance your prevention efforts.
Optional Share
If you feel comfortable, share your commitment with the person sitting next to you. Making a verbal commitment increases the likelihood of follow-through!
Thank you for your engagement and dedication to healthy communities.
